Spot the signs of Gum Disease

Regular oral and dental hygiene appointments play a large part in your overall personal health and well-being. Here, we present you with just a few great reasons as to why our team at The Bristol Dental practice recommend you have them with us!

What does a dental hygienist actually do?
Having poor oral hygiene can lead to worsening problems such as bleeding gums, gum disease and even eventually tooth loss if you leave your teeth and gums health to be ignored. Our dental hygienist’s professional priority is to check, monitor and prevent any of these unfortunate things from happening to you and if caught on time these problems can be treated both by our hygienists and by the help of yourself in the comfort of your own home. Oral health which is neglected (or not kept clean) can lead to pain and discomfort, this can arise from your gums, teeth and also your soft tissues i.e. insides of the cheeks.

So, how do you spot the signs of gum disease?
Unless you are told what the physical signs are you are probably wondering what to look out for, but here we can help you:

• One of the first signs is noticing blood whilst brushing your teeth or maybe even when flossing (also commonly known as gingivitis)
• We always recommend that you floss at least twice a week and strongly recommend you attend your routine oral check-ups and dental hygiene appointments at the intervals as recommended by your dentist and/or dental hygienist.
• When visiting one of our hygienists, they will provide your teeth and gums with a thorough clean, remove any hard to remove staining and tenacious plaque and calculus build-up which has become stuck to your teeth and gums, you may notice that removing this yourself is next to impossible and even if you take great care in maintaining your oral hygiene at home our professional hygienists have the specialised tools required to reach those hard to reach areas which you usually struggle to or cannot reach yourself.
• Many people are aware that ‘gingivitis’ as a bad word, one associated with gum problems. This is true, it essentially translates as inflamed gums. When this is the case, your gums may bleed when brushed, or even spontaneously!

Unfortunately, this means that you will in need of help and professional treatment. Fortunately, we are here to help!

One of our lovely hygienists can help to explain (in easily understood terms) what is happening and why it is happening to your gums and oral health. We can also help to remove the offending plaque and tartar thereby improving your oral health and removing any evidence of gingivitis.

Some other symptoms which commonly accompany gingivitis, or inflamed gums can include bad breath formation, stained or discoloured teeth, abscesses and/or infections and tooth mobility leading eventually to tooth loss!

If this is the case, then you should call one of our friendly reception team today on 0117 910 59 29 or alternatively you can also send us a friendly email via our website where we would be more than happy to help you tackle and overcome your gum disease/gingivitis/gum concerns.

Other signs to watch out for:

• Bad breath prevention
  You may not be aware of it, but bacteria that is not in sight and hiding below your visible gum levels can cause your breath to smell! Meticulous home care and maintenance will contribute to improvements, but with the help of one of our professional hygienists we will be able to help you really remove those deep-seated bacteria thereby leaving your mouth both smelling and feeling completely minty fresh!
• Removing those noticeable, resistant stains and providing you with a happier, healthier smile
  Daily we consume lots of different food and drinks which can contain many strong colourants and as a result, these dietary items tend to gradually affect the naturally white appearance our teeth, but with the help of one of our lovely hygienists via a scale & polish we can certainly help remove these unsightly stains leaving your teeth with a whiter, wider smile and appearance than before.
• Look out for early signs of tooth decay, loose fillings, cracked teeth and even oral cancer
  You might just think when you see a hygienist, they just work on making your teeth nice and clean and it is the dentist that does the rest, but that is not just all they do. Whilst cleaning your teeth and gums they will also look out for any other abnormal signs of oral changes i.e. signs of oral cancer. If you have not visited your dentist recently some problems may not have been noticed until now, therefore we truly believe seeing a hygienist is just as important as the dentist.
• A happy and healthy mouth contributes to a happy and healthy lifestyle
  As individuals we all want a healthy and clean mouth that gives off a great smile especially when conversing with others, we do not want to hide or smiles away, but instead be able to express ourselves freely and with confident smiles. As mentioned earlier in this article, if you keep up with good oral hygiene practice and maintenance this will help you achieve exactly that, and who knows, that hard work may pay off in the future by requiring less visits to the hygienist!

Help your teeth by making that positive move and book an appointment with one of our lovely dental hygienists today. If there is anything we did not cover in this article and you are still pondering anything oral health related, or if you would like to seek some further advice with one of our friendly team then why not give us a call on 0117 910 59 29 or alternatively (if you prefer), you can also send us a friendly email via our website

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you and your lovely smile soon!